We were honored, lucky, blessed, exstatic to have Julia Bottoms develop a custom piece of art for No Boundaries issue 4 when we leapt from newsprint to magazine.
Ever since, we’ve been the biggest fans, and you should be too.
Exhibition: HER, a series of new experimental paintings by Julia Bottoms
Opening Reception: Friday May 7th, 2021 7 – 10pm
Location: BOX Gallery (Hostel Buffalo-Niagara)
667 Main Street,
Buffalo, NY 14203
Exhibition Dates & Hours: 5/1 — 6/30/2021
Gallery Hours: Direct Message @boxgallery_667 or email: boxgallerybuffalo@gmail.com to set up a contactless gallery viewing
Event & Artist Website: FB Event Page, www.juliabottoms.com BOX
HER series:
The HER series is an evolving conversation intended to spark a vision of an art world in which Black creators and Black models are abundant and celebrated. The work echoes themes of representation, joy, and connection to creation/the universe. There are multiple layers to these paintings, one of which is a reflection on the intertwined relationship between individual beings and all of existence. HER examines this relationship specifically through the lens of Black womanhood–in a society where our existence so often goes unconsidered and uncelebrated–these paintings are a moment of recognition, casting aside stereotypes and instead, portray us as we truly are.
BIO:
Julia Bottoms is a visual artist based out of Buffalo, NY working primarily in oils and acrylic. Her work often addresses the topic of race and identity as it relates to one’s position in the mainstream culture. She views her portraits as an opportunity to reverse the stigma and stereotypes imposed by popular media.
Her work includes a collaboration with the Albright Knox for The Freedom Wall, the Mamie Smith Memorial mural in Cincinnati, OH, the East Delavan Library mural, and more. Her work has been featured on the cover of The Public, in Buffalo Spree, The Challenger, HBO’s Insecure, and online through AfroPunk.
Bottoms holds a BA (2012) and a MA (2017) from Buffalo State College.
About BOX gallery:
BOX Gallery sprouted up from a deserted office space within Hostel Buffalo-Niagara. The space has helped transform the hostel and itself into a unique, vibrant, experimental street level gallery and community exhibition space.
BOX is focused on exhibiting and promoting artists of all backgrounds, vehicles, and levels to further an artists practice and challenge the space itself, creating a cultural exchange between the domestic and international guests of the Hostel and artists and our local communities.
In September 2014, BOX was developed via the Hostel through a labor of love by fellow coworker & painter Jeffrey Vincent & manager of Hostel Buffalo, Jonathan Piret (JP). In April 2017, Vincent left BOX to open up Gallery Frames on Elmwood, in which JP has solely run the gallery since.
BOX has hosted over 30+ exhibitions featuring local artists such as Shasti O’Leary Stoudant, Adam Weekley, virocode, Jason Seeley, Jodi Lynn Maracle, Gary Nickard, Reinhart Reitzenstein, Rebecca Wing, Kyla Kegler, Dana McKnight, Marc Tomko, Brian Milbrand, Lara Buckley, Obsidian Bellis, Daniel Galas, Kate Gaudy, Andy Krzystek, Caroline Doherty, Flatsitter, MJ Meyers, Chantal Calato, Thea Duskin, Gareth Lichty, Peter Fowler, Scotty Bye, Paris Henderson, and Kyle Butler, to name a few.
